Create a Floral Masterpiece at Foertmeyer & Sons

The gorgeous, premade floral displays that pop up at nurseries across town as soon as the weather warms are certainly tempting. But every gardener knows the fun is doing it yourself. That's the customer Foertmeyer & Sons caters to, and they've got the space for you to get your hands dirty this summer.

In the Delaware greenhouse's potentials building, customers can create floral masterpieces using their imagination and personal inspirations. Workshops offered April through July focus on fairy and miniature gardens, do-it-yourself hanging baskets, container gardens and more, says retail manager Jared Hughes. "We help you make them look as beautiful as what you see in a magazine," he says.

Additionally, the greenhouse will host terrarium and succulent workshops this summer-"The succulent trend is huge," Hughes says-while colorful container gardens will continue to be a popular offering.

"The model we like to use inspires a little more creativity, as we don't actually charge for the workshop, but the materials," he says. "For example, if we were to charge $35 for a fairy gardening workshop and say, 'This is what you get,' well, my customers may want to do a lot more than that."

Workshop participants are charged only for the materials used, and the space-which is attached to the garden center-is open and airy. "You can come in and make as big of a mess as you want," Hughes says. Additionally, customers who aren't interested in signing up for a formal class can bring their pots, blooms and soil into the space to create a custom display with the guidance of on-hand experts. "We just like that concept of creativity, of having fun," Hughes says. foertmeyerandsons.com